Tinting Shops Turning Me Down

I have gone to 4 window tinting shops to get estimates on ceramic window tinting for my '87 328 GTS. Three of them said they could not do it because of the clearance at the top of the windshield. The fourth tinting shop did not get a look at the car but said they could do it.

Has anyone else encountered this? I'd like to have the ceramic film on my windows because the AC works well on cloudy days.

 

What do they even mean clearance at the top of the windshield? Your talking about applying a tint to the inside of the window, right?

 

Do you have a local Ferrari dealership? I had my 328 done through Boardwalk Ferrari (who surely outsourced it) and had no issues. The dealership has the contacts.

 

Ooh! Good call. I feel like I tend to forget the dealership is an option for anything at all with cars this old

 

No local dealership. Closest one is Greenville, NC a number of hours away. Tint would go on inside.

 

You're in Tennessee? : (From: https://accentdistributing.com/tennessee-window-tinting-laws#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20International%20Window,least%2035%20percent%20of%20light.)

NAVIGATING TENNESSEE TINTING LAWS
According to the International Window Film Association, in Tennessee, cars, SUVs and vans can have non-reflective window tint above the manufacturer’s AS-1 line on the windshield.

By the sounds of it, they're refusing to do it, because it's not legal

 

I walk a lot and see many vehicles with tinted windshields around here. We have no state vehicle inspections here. One highly recommended place said he could not get a good fix at the top of the windshield and did not want his name associated an inferior job. Another shop said the top of the windshield was a problem. Some of the new ceramic films do not shade much.

 

Strange. It's definitely a worthwhile thing to do. I recently had it done to the NSX. The windshield is huge and really let that sun and heat pour in. Now the AC doesn't have to work so hard to keep the car cool. Not much of a visual change, really.

 

Maybe they meant top of the instrument pod. Pretty tight clearance there my fingers don’t fit but I suppose they could remove it during the application process.

 

Which for many is the point of using ceramic tint. Maximizing light transmission while blocking out UV.

 

Just because you see loads of people doing something doesn't make it legal (speeding being a classic example).

Unless the Law in Tennessee has changed since the link I posted was made, no State vehicle inspections or not, it's still illegal to have any sort of tint below the AS-1 line on the windshield, and any company found to be tinting windshields, could find themselves in trouble with the Law.

Why would any tint not fix to the top part of the windshield compared to the rest of it? - It's all the same glass, the top section isn't made of some special material

I think you need to ask the local window tint companies for a better explanation as to why they can't do it, rather than relying on non-experts, who do not live in your state (Hell! - I don't even live in your Country! Here in the UK, you can have a tint above the AS-1 line, in fact, you can blank it out completely, but below that line, tinting on the windshield/windscreen is a serious "no-no!")

My monies on: It's to do with the Law and the AS-1 line regulation (Seems too much of a coincidence that they have an issue with the top part of the screen - Exactly where the AS-1 line is)

 

Maybe the issue is the difficulty installing over the gauge hood, and not a local law....

 

There is an alternative to window tinting the inside of the windshield - consider getting the protective windshield film on the outside of the windshield, they also provide full UV and IR radiation blocking.

I just had the original windshield in my 84 308 done last week with Ultrafit WinCrest Nano Ceramic IR protection film, by the Ferrari of Alberta dealer here in Calgary. Cost was $425 after the FCA discount. It's a clear protective film that protects from rock chips and stops UV and IR.

https://www.ultrafitprotection.com/Home/WinCrest_Nano_Ceramic

A similar product is Exoshield, same benefits and I imagine similar cost. I went with the WinCrest film because it was offered by the Ferrari dealer. https://www.getexoshield.com/windshield-protection-film

You can just see the edge of the film on the windshield of my 308 in the corners

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Have you noticed any change in optics after applying it? Does it cause lights at night to be blurred or distorted? Do windshield wipers leave a mark?

 

No change in optics, no night time distortion or blurring.

When I was researching, I found reviews or suggestions that said wipers might leave marks after significant use, ie after 1 - 2 years for daily drivers through snowy winters, etc. For an exotic car which doesn't see DD use, no winter use, limited rain use, this should last many years.

Even if I needed to replace it every 3 - 4 years, at $425 CAD ($350 USD?) it's cheap insurance to protect my original 37 yr old windshield.

 

I too had many nay sayers initially but my local guy said hey let’s try it. And it WORKS. the ceramic 5% tint on the INSIDE of the windshield cuts the heat and glare a LOT.
i can run my AC on 2 now and be comfortable in 90+ outside temps. Before it was level 4 with the full fan noise.

 

They’re turning you away because their software doesn’t have cars that old programmed into it and no one has the skill to ‘bulk’ cut it by hand anymore